by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni expects his star in Friday's 7 p.m. ET game against the Indiana Pacers despite an ankle injury initially ruled as a severe sprain from Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

"He's getting treatment," D'Antoni said after their shoot-around at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "It'll get better everyday and then we'll see. When he can go, he'll go. ... He's pretty remarkable on how he recovers."

Bryant is known for playing through pain, but after he tweeted a photo of himself Thursday nursing a swollen ankle, it seemed unlikely his return would be so immediate. Because he's back in the starting lineup, he won't have missed anything but the final few seconds of Wednesday's game against the Hawks, after he was injured by falling on to Dahntay Jones' foot.